A Boy Named Eto
by Renegade3
Summary: A boy, whose body and spirit are trapped in death, is a bound servant of Cren, one of the Greater Dead. It is up to him to foil Cren's plans to unite all Free Magic beings and destroy the Old Kingdom.
1. Prologue

A Boy Named Eto  
  
Disclaimer: All characters and places, other than Eto and Cren, belong to  
Garth Nix and whichever company that also owns this material.  
  
Author's Note: This tale takes place after the death of the Disreputable  
Dog and the binding of the Destroyer.  
  
Prologue  
  
He wanted to live, yet he could not. He wanted to love, yet he could only hate. He wanted freedom, yet he was destined to be a lowly pawn...  
  
"Eto...you have failed me," a dark figure, vaguely human in shape, stated. It wasn't a question, nor was it an accusation. Just a fact that Eto realized as he hung his head in silence and shame. "I gave to you a task that could so easily be carried out by even the lowest of my servants. And you still managed to fail," the figure sneered. Eto's blank, lifeless eyes glanced at the imposing creature before him.  
  
"I...I'm...sorry..." the boy managed to stammer, his voice barely audible. He suddenly found a new interest in the details of his small shoes as he said this. The creature raised its eyebrows at him.  
  
"I see. It seems that I have underestimated you, for you have managed to break your bonds of silence," it mused. A small beacon of hope flickered to life in Eto. Perhaps his freedom would come today. However, that beacon was blown out when a grin, if it could even be called that, slithered its way across the figure's face. The figure before the boy never did have a proper name, nor had it ever bothered to create one; however, his followers had always called him Cren. Why, none know. But the creature liked this name and kept it as a reminder to others of his power. He wished all the quiver at his name, whatever it may be. For so great that power was that he destroyed Eto's larynx with a mere glance.  
  
Eto clasped his hands about his throat; eyes bulging and mouth gaping open in a silent scream of pain. Cren grinned nastily as he left the boy in the Sixth Precinct of Death, heading for the Fifth Gate and, eventually, Life. As he walked through the gray flatness of Death, other spirits who had, at some point, been jettisoned from their bodies followed closely behind. They all hoped for a chance to be used as a Hand by one of the Greater Dead, for it was their only chance to return to Life. So desperate were they that they flung themselves onto him, grasping at the dark shadow he was made of. Cren merely shoved them aside as he spoke the words to open the gate; the intense acrid tinge of Free Magic in his breath permeating through the air around him.  
  
Eto curled into a ball and wept in all his misery. A living boy left in the realm of Death. He did not stop to think of how fortunate he was to still be alive in the Sixth Precinct surrounded by spirits thirsty for living flesh. 


	2. Lamentation

A Boy Named Eto  
  
Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to Garth Nix and whichever  
company that also owns this material any characters you don't recognize  
belong to me.  
  
Author's Note: This tale takes place after the death of the Disreputable  
Dog and the rebinding of the Destroyer.  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
Lamentation  
  
It had been several weeks since the departure of the Disreputable Dog, and Lirael had been grieving silently ever since. However, she was not allowed to wallow in her own sadness, for Nicholas needed to be taught about the Charter. After the rebinding of the Destroyer, Sabriel had invited her newfound sister to stay at the Abhorsen's House instead of returning to the Glacier. "There is no purpose in me staying where I never was entirely accepted," she said then. But to her, and everyone else, that felt as though it were a lifetime ago.  
  
The rest of the Old Kingdom continued on in its own peaceful way, that peace disrupted occasionally with small outbreaks of the Dead and weak Necromancers. Touchstone and Sabriel smoothed the outbreaks over whenever they occurred, which often left them far from home. But they trusted Sam and Ellimere to look after things, and Lirael to look after Nick's recovery. It was one of those days when it was just best to stay inside; the sky was a pearly white and very indecisive about whether or not it wanted to rain.  
  
"Can you move your arm yet?" Lirael asked as she performed a healing spell for the fifth time that day.  
  
"I think so," he replied attempting to bend his elbow. "Ow...okay never mind," he said, wincing in pain, "but at least I can move my fingers right?"  
  
"Yes, that is much better than before." She watched as Nick twisted himself to gaze at the Charter Mark in the mirror.  
  
"I still can't believe all this exists! In all the world of science, not one thing here has followed any logic," he mused, frowning and running his fingers over the mark. It glowed slightly before dimming and becoming nearly invisible against his skin. "I guess I have much to learn about the Charter still..." Lirael nodded as she finished dressing his wounds with both cloth and spell.  
  
She gazed at the golden hand that had now been placed upon her wrist and moved the fingers. Fighting the tears that threatened to overflow, she tried to shove the memories of that nightmare into the back of her mind.  
  
"You know that dog of yours certainly was quite remarkable, saved my life and all. Not a breed I am familiar with but she did go on about something concerning a burden and Free Magic... Do you have any idea what she might have meant?" The young woman shook her head silently, sighing in lament for her only true friend. "Oh come now don't be sad! She certainly wasn't! It was almost as if she might come back into Life...the way she was acting I mean."  
  
"If you two are finished with your trip down Memory Lane, then I suggest you get up and go greet our guests," Mogget said.  
  
"Guests? What guests?" Lirael asked in surprise and turning to the white cat sitting in the doorway.  
  
"What guests...what guests...oh yes, why I believe I'm referring to those people who are waiting for you to move your slow and lazy self downstairs! That's 'what guests'!" he replied, sardonically. With a glare Lirael sped down the stairs and was ushered even faster into the lower parlor by a particularly snappy sending. Mogget padded after her, leaping into an armchair watching the two arrivals carefully. Yet as he did so, Ranna tinkled quietly on his collar causing him to yawn widely and drift off to sleep.  
  
Lirael led the two guests into the parlor. One was a tall, heavily built man with a sword strapped at his side and a large, hooded cloak that obscured the details of his face. Small symbols wriggled and squirmed along the hilt; symbols that were a disgusting mockery of the Charter. They remained unnoticed, as the girl was busy introducing herself to him and his companion. This other guest was quite the contrary to the first, as he was lean and rather short compared to most men. He was garbed in a rusted mail shirt, a tunic of similar coloring over it, and brown trousers tucked into dark leather boots. His face was about as pleasing as the state of his mail shirt. Long thin scars etched their way across his nose and eyes, one of these eyes was a milky white.  
  
"We are in need of your aid, Lady Lirael," the shorter man began in an oily tone, "You see, my companion Gridol, comes from a village that has recently been attacked by a large number of Dead Hands. We feel that it would be in our best interest to seek the aid of such a strong individual like yourself." The man called Gridol shifted slightly in his seat, never meeting her sympathetic gaze.  
  
"Gridol, I'm sure you have lost many family members in this incident, but why are you not back at your village trying to repair the damage?" she asked.  
  
"I-"  
  
"My...my friend here has been so traumatized by all of this that he was unable to even look upon his home!" the man, known as Kirae, interrupted as he pulled off a sickeningly pitiful look. Mogget stirred slightly in his sleep as he sniffed the air, catching a whiff of something highly suspicious from Gridol. However, when he leapt down from the chair to have a closer look at this 'Gidol', Ranna rang softly and sent his mind back into a doze as he sauntered off into the hall. The other shifted in his seat again, apparently uncomfortable with the small white cat.  
  
"So will you lend us aid?" Kirae asked nervously, and perhaps too quickly.  
  
A/N: I hope to update every other day. However, I cannot promise you that as my muse often refuses to work with me. I, for once, actually do have an idea where this story will be going and the chapters may also alternate between Eto and Lirael.  
  
-Renegade 


	3. Deception

A Boy Named Eto  
  
Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to Garth Nix and whichever  
company that also owns this material any characters you don't recognize  
belong to me.  
  
Author's Note: This tale takes place after the death of the Disreputable  
Dog and the rebinding of the Destroyer.  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Deception  
  
Lirael eyed the two strangers warily before giving in to her pity for Gridol. "Yes, I will help you." Kirae grinned, though not necessarily in a happy way, and leapt to his feet. "On one condition," she firmly added.  
  
"W-what's that?" the man asked fearfully.  
  
"You are to show me your Charter Marks." She reached out with two fingers and touched the mark on Kirae's forehead, but her hand retracted quickly as though the Mark burned her. "A sullied Mark?!" she exclaimed, frowning deeply. 'How could they have penetrated the spells placed on this house?' she wondered. That's when she felt it. A tear in the protection of the house, like a crack in a great wall.  
  
Kirae began to panic. She had found out! But before he could properly trap himself in a rut, Gridol lunged forward, grabbed the Abhorsen- in-Waiting, and was already halfway to the door. Lirael tried to shout for Mogget but found that her throat was filled with bile before she could even utter a word. The tang of Free Magic was now in the air stronger than ever before. She looked up at her captor and noticed that there was a lack of flesh (or anything for that matter) under the hood of his cloak and two glowing pits shone where his eyes would have been. He was a Shadow Hand, a strong spirit brought back from the Dead.  
  
The girl let out a shrill whistle, the sound thick with Charter Magic. The melody that came forth was lighthearted and sweet sounding to her, but Gridol tensed his shadowy body fighting the weak imitation of Kibeth. His companion began to weave a spell made of the disgusting mockery of Charter Marks that the Free Magic beings used. The symbols glowed faintly in the air, twisting like worms. As he uttered the last words, Lirael felt her mind go into a hazy dreamlike state. A drunken smile smeared itself across her lips as she fell asleep in the Shadow Hand's arms.  
  
"I can't make it," the Hand said in his crackling voice as they approached the stepping stones leading away from the river.  
  
"Well give her to me!" Kirae shouted over the roar. Slinging the girl over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the man leapt across the stepping stones as Gridol fought with himself. Suddenly, with a shriek, he disappeared from the platform and was returned to Death.  
  
A pair of small, green eyes peered out of the Observatory window and watched the figures leave the House's boundaries. A silvery-skinned sending stood beside him, watching as well. The cat left the sending and trotted down into the study where Nick sat reading through several books about the Charter. He looked up as he saw Mogget.  
  
"Where's Lirael? She was supposed to teach me about practical spells today."  
  
"Lirael, the fool, has been taken captive by a Shadow Hand and a man known as Kirae."  
  
* * * *  
  
"I have another job for Eto," Cren said, seemingly satisfied at the moment. Eto looked up in both fear and hatred. "One of my scouts has managed to ensnare the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and I want you to ensure that idiot doesn't lose her under any circumstances." Eto whimpered in assent, for that was the only sound he was allowed to make. He felt himself being thrown forward into the Gates as other spirits clung to him and eyed him enviously as he whooshed past. Up he was chucked through the Second Gate, and crashing he went through the First Gate, landing hard in the River. Cren shouted loudly at the Gates, "I'll be watching you!" With that Eto was left heading back towards Life, which he did in a most gleeful fashion, sprinting head-on towards the border.  
  
A powerful warmth gripped his body as he stood slowly, moving his fingers and toes carefully. For the cold of Death had a habit of causing the body left behind to hibernate. Looking around, the boy noticed that he was not far from the Abhorsen's House as the waterfall roared loudly nearby. Cren's last words echoed in his mind as he set off for the road that picked itself up outside the tunnel. He knew Kirae would have to go around the cliff face, seeing as no sending (especially the Abhorsen's) would allow him through. Plus, he would be able to see them below, if they managed to get that far without aid that is.  
  
Dusk was coming on and leaning against the cliff, Eto fell into a deep sleep which was something he always was denied in Death. It was one of the smaller perks of being alive again...  
  
It was darker than usual as a small boy played outside with his friends. The boy's older brother had placed a spell on a rope so that it would swing itself around while all the children jumped over it. A simple game of jump rope that left them all chanting little rhymes of nonsense. A woman appeared in the doorway of the house behind them and shouted: "Eto, time for dinner!" The boy reluctantly left his friends and ran inside the house. "Now get washed up really well! We have a guest tonight who calls himself Cren. He says he can help your father!" The woman's eyes gleamed with tears of happiness, for seeing her husband well again was her fondest wish.  
  
"Ever since the epidemic hit the village, my husband has been ill. We fear that it is a terminal disease..." the mother stated, her voice trailing off.  
  
"Worry not. I shall be able to restore your husband and all will be well!" Everyone's eyes at the table brightened at this news. Only the guest felt the father's life snuff out just then. "However," Cren said, darkly, "such work does not come without a price."  
  
"What price? I thought you would help us!" the elder of the brothers exclaimed.  
  
Cren attempted to chuckle, but a slight cackle came out instead. "My dear boy, I said I would help you, I'm merely asking for compensation..."  
  
"I'll give you anything to see him well again!" the mother shouted, emotion rising in her voice.  
  
"Anything? Are you sure?" he replied, grinned evilly.  
  
"Yes!" they all said, the little boy shouting it loudly.  
  
"Very well then." He entered Death and muttered a spell of binding and darkness around the newly freed spirit of the father. Cren gave his instructions to the new slave and returned to Life just as a grunt was heard from another room. "Now I shall receive my payment and be off!"  
  
"Of course!" she said excitedly, putting all the gold they had on the table.  
  
"Oh no. I do not need gold or jewels. I think I shall take the boy." Turning to Eto, he picked him up by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out of the house. Cren paid no attention to the shouts and screams of terror the drifted from the house, his new servant fulfilling his orders as planned.  
  
"ETO!!!" was heard as the man passed into Death, taking the live boy with him.  
  
Eto awoke with a start, and remembered why he didn't like to sleep and why he never before missed it. The sun was just beginning to creep along the horizon. He heard a quiet string of curses come from below and a shuffling noise like someone trying to drag a large weight behind them. Peering over the edge, the boy watched Kirae drag the limp, sleeping body of Lirael down the road. He got to his feet and silently followed the two. He suddenly felt a pang of pity in his heart for her, for her fate would be the same as his: eternal servitude.  
  
A/N: I would like to thank all of those who reviewed! That is all.  
  
-Renegade 


	4. A Lesson Well Learned

A Boy Named Eto  
  
Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to Garth Nix and whichever  
company that also owns this material any characters you don't recognize  
belong to me.  
  
Author's Note: This tale takes place after the death of the Disreputable  
Dog and the rebinding of the Destroyer.  
  
Chapter 3:  
  
A Lesson Well Learned  
  
"She was what?!" Nick bellowed. "She's the Abhorsen-in-Waiting! How could she be kidnapped?!" The book that Nick held moments earlier was sent careening into the wall, its open pages swaying idly amidst the tension.  
  
"It seems that her bells were left in her room. And it seems Kirae is a very powerful Charter Mage," Mogget mewled.  
  
"But I still can't believe it...how could this scum-bag have possibly deceived her?"  
  
"Believe it or not, that is what happened. And Lirael isn't at all very...skeptical of things."  
  
"Well we have to do something! We have to rescue her!"  
  
"What do you mean 'we'? I believe you are in no state to even think about leaving these grounds," the cat replied bitterly.  
  
"How could you possibly even hope to help her! You're just a cat!" he shouted angrily, glaring down at the white-furred creature before him. Mogget's eye twitched in a most un-catlike manner as literally spat in the boy's face.  
  
Sauntering away, he replied in a quiet and calm tone, "Very well. If you so wish to go and perform your foolish heroics, then so be it."  
  
"And what about you?" Nick said, still sending death glares at him.  
  
"I shall accompany you only because it is my duty as the Abhorsen's Servant to assure that the Abhorsen-in-Waiting lives long enough to at least carry on the line." Mogget carefully stepped over the strewn-aside book, slipping through the doorway just in time to avoid another book being thrown at him. "Oh yes, and get your things, we leave early tomorrow," he added over his shoulder.  
  
* * * *  
  
Morning dawned with overcast skies and strong winds that upturned the leaves on the trees, a sign of an approaching storm. The two left the grounds as the sun attempted to shine from behind the clouds. They crossed the River Ratterlin, Nick reaching the shore and heaving a sigh as Mogget followed behind nimbly avoiding the sprays of water. Even though he had taken the form of a white-bearded dwarf, his binding in the cat's body still left him with a strong dislike of water. "So where do we go from here?" Nick asked, adjusting the pack that was determined to dig into his spine.  
  
"Gardil, most likely. The recent uprisings of the Dead and Free Magic beings have all been concentrated in that area."  
  
"That must be where Kirae is headed."  
  
"That remains obvious. And do hurry it up, we don't have all day you know. Tracking someone is very difficult at night," Mogget chided as Nick's face flushed with embarrassment. They ascended the path leading to the tunnel with relative ease, and arrived at the bottom of the cliffs by noon. There they followed the hastily covered tracks, which followed the River and up the Old North Road.  
  
"Can't we get a horse or something?" Nicholas asked for the twelfth time that day.  
  
"No, or not yet at least. When we reach Uppside we may, but the road heading west passes by the Red Lake. It is far too soon after the rebinding for any beast that is living to tolerate being that close to the burial site," the little man replied, finally answering his question fully.  
  
"Can we at least stop to rest for the night? And I need to at least be able to do some Charter Spells if I am to be of any use." With a sigh, Mogget nodded as Nick happily collected wood for the fire ready for a good rest. He didn't notice that his arm muscles were screaming from the exertion of carrying the logs.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Focus your mind on the Charter and try to bring up the symbols you just learned for light and guidance," Mogget instructed.  
  
"But how am I supposed to see the Charter if I don't even know what it looks like!"  
  
"Just do as I say." Nick finally complied and soon saw thousands of Charter Marks floating like an afterimage at the back of his eyes. He concentrated on the marks and spoke them as told, though his tongue stumbled over the pronunciation of the final one. Suddenly a loud crack sounded after a bright flash of light filled the area making the moon itself look bright yellow compared to it. Nick saw spots dancing before his eyes once he opened them and Mogget yowled in agitation while he rubbed his eyes with his hands. "You must learn to pronounce the names of the Marks properly before you ever attempt a new spell! I thought you knew that."  
  
"Well it's not my fault these names are so...oddly sounded!" They were both so absorbed in their anger with each other that they it took them several minutes to register the bleak caws coming from overhead. They were distant shrill cries similar to that of some dying animal, and Mogget frowned when he looked up to the sky for the source.  
  
"What is it?" Nick asked, a prickle of fear just beginning to creep up his spine.  
  
"Gore crows. There are only a few up there, probably scouts," he replied, getting his own chill from the dead creatures. "We will have to be more cautious from now on, thanks to you little beacon."  
  
It was an hour or two later before either of them felt safe enough to sleep, not that Mogget really needed to. 'It seems that there is something much bigger behind all of this,' he thought, staring off into the night. 


End file.
